Brewer Q & A (Issue 21)

95 Rating – Heavy Seas Beer – The Greater Pumpkin

Responses from Heavy Seas brewaster Christopher Leonard.

Who came up with this beer's recipe?
The Heavy Seas brewing team. We've been making this beer for a number of years now.

What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)? 
The bourbon flavor/aroma imparted by the barrel-aging gives the beer an incredibly rich and satisfying aspect.

Where does this beer’s name come from?
Originally, it was called The Great Pumpkin. When we decided to age it in bourbon barrels the second year we brewed it, it became "greater," so we simply added the "'er."

Is this your "desert island beer?"
Not likely, unless I were stranded on an island with cheesecake, vanilla ice cream and pumpkin pie.

Can you describe this beer in 10 words or less?
A rich, spicy, indulgent, high-octane and well-balanced treat.

95 Rating – Grey Sail Brewing of Rhode Island – Captain's Daughter

Responses from Grey Sail head brewer Josh Letourneau.

Who came up with this beer's recipe?
The recipe is a collaborative effort between one of the owners and myself. I had made a 5 gallon batch of a session IPA just for the brewery for fun, but we quickly realized how fast it had disappeared because everyone was digging it. When we decided to make our next year-round brew we wanted to do something bigger, and landed on a double IPA. So we basically took that original session IPA recipe and scaled everything up.

What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)? 
My favorite aspect of the beer would probably be it's ease of drinking. At 8.5% ABV it goes down really smooth with loads of tropical fruit hoppiness. We usually get comments on how quickly you can put them back. Not sure that's a good thing at 8.5%... but what're you gonna do? 

Is this your "desert island beer?"
Definitely not my desert island beer as I'm not much of an IPA guy actually. Cantillon Classic Gueuze would be mine... or our Flagship Cream Ale because it's a fantastic beer to drink outside.

Can you describe this beer in 10 words or less?
An elusive Double IPA from the ocean state.

95 Rating – Boulevard Brewing Co. – Funky Pumpkin 

Responses from Boulevard brewer Jeremy Danner.

Who came up with this beer's recipe?
We develop recipes as a team during meetings with brewers and our quality assurance team. We have an open discussion, during which we talk about the directions we’d like to take with new beers. Steven Pauwels, our brewmaster, writes the recipes and test brewing begins soon after.

What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)? 
I really like that we chose to focus more on the spices typically used in pumpkin pie (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice in our case) as opposed to featuring actual pumpkin flesh. As demonstrated by pie, pumpkin flesh doesn’t have a ton of flavor and really works better as a vehicle for spices. I particularly enjoy the way the spiciness from the ginger plays with the acidity. There’s a lot going on, but Funky Pumpkin is still very crisp and refreshing.

Where does this beer’s name come from?
Funky refers to the fact that the beer is brewhouse-soured and that a portion of the final blend was aged in oak and stainless steel with Brettanomyces. The beer is a definite departure from typical pumpkin beers and folks often refer to the flavors/aromas contributed by Brettanomyces as being funky.

Is this your "desert island beer?"
I really dig Funky Pumpkin, but I don’t know that it would be my desert island beer. I'm not shy about my love of Saison-Brett from Boulevard's Smokestack Series and would have to choose that brew instead. I honestly believe it’s the best beer that we brew. 

Can you describe this beer in 10 words or less?
Don’t think pumpkin beer is your thing? Try Funky Pumpkin! 

Do you know a story – or have a personal story – that revolves around this beer?
For years, we’ve had loyal Boulevard fans ask for a pumpkin beer around this time of year. We’ve always resisted because we felt like there were some great examples that were already available in the Midwest. When the idea of brewing a sour take with some Brettanomyces funk came up, we jumped on it. We’re admittedly not the best at brewing to style (because we prefer brewing to flavor), so a beer like this one really fit in with our approach to brewing.